Fandom Friday: Marvel

You might think that with my daughter being named Marvel, this would have been the first one to highlight. But as you’ve seen, it wasn’t because I’ve previously done Disney, Harry Potter, and Star Wars.

Growing up, I watched different comic book character cartoons such as Batman, X-men, Spider-Man, etc. (I know one of those is DC but I’ll get to DC a bit later down the road for Fandom Fridays). When the X-Men movies came out, I wasn’t allowed to watch them because of the risque character, Mystique. (Don’t worry, I’ve seen them now and no I don’t blame my parents for it nor am I upset at them). I remember though that back in 2002, at the end of my 8th grade year (I’m dating myself), I saw the first of the Sam Raimi Spider-Man films. I fell in love and became obsessed! I saw the movie on opening night (not the midnight showing), and then went again the very next day. I also bought the novelization of the movie (I have all three and got to meet he author Peter David at FanX 2014). I read what comics I could online on Marvel.com too (whichever ones were free).

This was the first trailer for Spider-Man, and it’s what got me intrigued and excited to see it. I post this trailer because this post was for 9/11 (though it’s getting done after midnight 9/12), and I will never forget that day. They pulled this trailer, for obvious reasons, but it’s the only trailer I remember for the movie.

It honestly wasn’t until later on that I thought about buying comics for myself, but before that I did realize that I could get some trades (comics in compilation form) from the library, so I’ve read a bit there too. But as soon as I started buying comics I was hooked. Maybe thankfully for my parents, I didn’t start till a few years after I was married, so they didn’t have to worry about them piling up!

I remember it was after the first Avengers movie came out that I started collecting. I was intrigued by the superhero with the bow…Hawkeye.

Now I’ve always had a fascination with archery, so of course he caught my eye. Heck, I had this little intro to the Justice League back in jr high or high school that I read to shreds, literally. And my favorite was the Green Arrow (yes I know that’s all DC but that’s besides the point). So of course I wanted to know more about Hawkeye. Thankfully for me, a new series was starting by Matt Fraction (and 3 years later it finally finished after many many many delays).

I’ve grown to not only love Hawkeye but many other characters in the Avengers and other teams in the Marvel Universe. I love how Marvel Cinematic Universe started something new where all these movies are interconnected, but you can still enjoy them standing alone. It’s revolutionary and it works. It’s so similar to what’s been done for ages with comic books and how different series can be connected by a big “event” such as Civil War (which the next Captain America movie is based off of). Heck even the Infinity Gauntlet storyline that Marvel has been building up on is based on a story in the comic universe. Getting into comics is not for the faint of heart, but you don’t have to buy hundreds of comics to enjoy the storylines or to understand what’s going on.

Of course you can’t talk about Marvel without talking about the Generalissimo himself, Stan Lee.

Stan Lee is synonymous with Marvel as he helped to create many of the most iconic characters. But one of the most fun things about him is that he make an appearance in almost all of the Marvel movies that have been made in the past 20 or so years. His first appearance in a Marvel movie (that was in theaters) was X-Men, and it started a trend from there. It’s like a nerdy Where’s Waldo but instead you’re looking for Stan Lee. Some roles have been a blink and you miss him, but others are a bit longer. It’s enjoyable for fans and even those who are the casual Marvel fan, or those who only watch the movies know who he is.

Last September, I got to meet Stan Lee at Salt Lake Comic Con. While the interaction was brief, it’s a memory I will never forget.

It’s my hope that I can get to meet him again to introduce my little Marvel to him. Unfortunately this years Salt Lake Comic Con, he’s attending another convention at the time.

Of course we know that I love Marvel, because I wrote a post before about why we were naming our daughter Marvel. But having had my daughter, I love that I’ve been introduced to even more characters, such as Ms. Marvel. I’ve been collecting the trades for the new Ms. Marvel, Kamala Khan. Kamala is relatable to me because she’s a fangirl for the Avengers and even writes Avengers Fan Fiction. She gets hit by the Mist and gains superpowers and becomes the new Ms. Marvel. She’s also the first mainstream Muslim superhero. I’m so excited to share her with my own Ms. Marvel as she grows up because she’s a great roll model and her story is so fun!

There’s so much in the Marvel fandom that you can enjoy, I’ve talked about the movies and comics. There’s also cosplay, TV shows, and video games as well! And there’s something for all ages, from kids to adults. It’s a great fandom for the whole family to enjoy and love. I’m so glad to be a part of it!

I’ve named 3 of my favorite Marvel characters, now who are yours? Share below in the comments!

Hi I'm Jessica! I'm a mother, wife, gamer, cosplayer, and all around fangirl. I love being a Geek Mom because I get to share many worlds with my daughter. Check out my about page to learn more about us!